Globally the population of people aged 60 years and over has doubled since 1995. By 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double again to 2.1 billion (WHO, 2026).
This is a success story. It also means that the social work profession has to focus more on this part of the population.
The UN is currently working towards a binding legal instrument to uphold the rights of older people. This recognises that older age has some unique aspects that require particular attention because of:
- Ageism – The common reduction of our complex humanity to a stereotype or assumption based on age undermines people’s opportunities, options and outcomes.
- How ageism interacts with other forms of discrimination across the life-course – This means that the impacts of oppression intersect, deepen and worsen as people age.
- Complexity in later life – Changes including physical, cognitive, financial, relational and social create a complex set of potential barriers to people being able to uphold their rights.
Social work is a human rights profession. Having a UN convention on rights for older people would give a firmer foundation to our work, and help us challenge unequal systems and advocate for rights in later life.
The older population is marked by inequality. Throughout the world, social determinants of health mean that the lower someone’s income and resources are, the worse their health will be (WHO, 2026b). Where you live, education, income, characteristics such as ethnicity, race and sex, and whether you have a disability, have a significant impact on how long people can live a healthy life. These are avoidable differences that can be changed by action on social determinants. Action that social workers often undertake and that a convention can support.
In later life, people are affected by ageism as a specific form of identity discrimination. As a human-rights profession, social work is able to play a strong role in improving the rights and wellbeing of older people. Again, a convention gives a framework to our advocacy and allyship.
A focus on older people doesn’t just benefit people in later life. It enhances families, communities and societies. Older people make huge contributions locally and beyond. This includes through caring responsibilities, work, caring for the land and environment, leadership and guardianship of traditions. There is scope for greater participation and positive impact on our world from people in later life when there is proper recognition and respect.
From 1-7 February the Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People will be shouting out about the need for a convention in their Global Rally. We can all amplify this through talking about the need to Age With Rights and for Equal Voices, Equal Rights. Look out for information about the Global Rally and share this with social work colleagues.
Social work offers a clear purpose, ethics and capabilities to respond to the potential of an ageing population. We can create alliances with older people to overcome ageism and enable everyone to flourish and achieve their maximum capability. We can add our voice to calls for equal rights in later life.
A UN Convention will help us to act, advocate and empower.